carefully crafted student input can enhance their studies and research – as demonstrated by Anke, a recent student volunteer in The Gambia:

(and since writing this, Anke hes not only been awarded her MA, but also her university's "Best Thesis Award"!)

During my studies (MA in Tourism, Environment and Development), I developed an interest in Responsible Tourism and pro-poor tourism. I started considering responsible tourism to be my dissertation topic, so which volunteer company could have been more suitable than people and places? 

My topic was partly shaped on local needs: “monitoring the impact of trainings which ITTOG (Institute for Travel and Tourism in The Gambia) provided for ASSET (Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism) members”.  

Initially, the aspect of being a volunteer seemed interesting for my thesis – I also learned during my time in The Gambia that letting local voices speak is much more interesting and relevant. 

Many thanks - p&p played a vital role in facilitating my research – hope this encourages more students to look into field work that combines volunteering with research.